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Rowing as an organised inter-collegiate sport became increasingly popular in Oxford during the early decades of the nineteenth century, with the first organised bumps races were held at around this time. A Trinity rower in 1831 by the name of James Pycroft detailed how the men within the team would pay for a boat for college themselves, and would levy a rate upon all members of the college to help pay as ‘it being considered that the boat and its anticipated victories were for the honour of the college generally’.[2] Even at the outset of rowing at Trinity in the 1830s, James Pycroft records in his memoirs an incident whereby a scholar named Thomas Lewin ‘had thoughts of joining the boat, but received a hint that it would not do’.[2] The reason behind this being that members of the boat club were known to be uproarious, riotous and generally interested in having a good time while they studied!

In 1838 Trinity join the records, which can still be seen in the College’s boathouse, and moved up three places over the week’s rowing from eighth to fifth. Trinity’s first rowing Blues are both depicted in the earliest known depiction of a Trinity crew, from 1842. John Cox and Edward Breedon both rowed in Oxford’s sixth boat race on the Westminster to Putney course in 1842.

Another nineteen years passed with rowing at Trinity growing in its importance within the college, until finally during the Eights in 1861, Trinity bumped University College, Oxford, BNC, Exeter and finally Balliol College to go Head of the River. The run of great rowing remained until 1865 which unfortunately marked the beginning of a disastrous few years of racing at Trinity. However, the period at the head was again matched with a similar stretch of dominance at the top of Division one, just a few months before Hitler’s invasion of Poland and the start of World War Two in 1939. Several of Trinity’s ‘old boys’ rowed at this time and experienced being the best team amongst the Oxford colleges on the Isis.

In addition to this, past Trinity crews were involved in many regattas outside of the college including the Henley Royal Regatta, and the Thames Regatta.